In William Shakespeare's Othello, tragedy might be an understatement. There were many characters who died including Othello, Desdemona, Emilia, and Rodrigo. But who was to blame for this unfortunate turn of events? This question has been asked since the play's publication. Many say that the obvious person to blame is Iago, considering he was the one who deceived every character in the play and seemed to set the tragic events in motion. I, however, believe that Othello is to blame. Not only was he fast to trust a man he barely knew, but he believed him enough to act upon his words. If he had simply taken the time to ask questions and do his own research, the tragic end of the play could have been avoided.
The first question that I had when reading this play was how long had Othello known Iago. Considering Iago’s lower rank, one could draw the conclusion that Othello was not in Iago's company on a day to day basis. This means that they must have just started talking when the play began. So, why did Othello trust him so much? He trusts him more than he trusts his own wife! I mean really, who believes someone they barely know when they come up and tell them that their wife was cheating on them? It is because of Othello’s trusting nature that the events of the play were set into motion. Othello is blind. He is not literally blind, but he fails to see Iago’s true motives to destroy him and is instead very trusting. Othello refers to Iago as “honest Iago,” relying on him to expose the details of the scuffle between Cassio and Montano and for information throughout the play. Clearly Othello trusts Iago, but Iago, as the audience knows, is anything but trustworthy, as he plans to destroy Othello for not promoting him to lieutenant and for a rumor that he slept with his wife. This trust continues throughout the beginning of the play, even when Iago lies to Othello about an affair between Desdemona and Cassio. Othello trusts what Iago tells him because “thou’rt full of love and honesty” (44). Yet, Iago makes up stories of the affair and warns Othello to be weary of their relationship. Othello’s blindness towards Iago’s disloyalty leads to his own demise. Because he trusts Iago, even though he barely knows him, he plays right into Iago’s egregious plot to destroy him. Othello grows angry and seeks revenge for a love affair that doesn’t exist which leads to some hasty decisions which result in the death of his own wife, himself, Emilia and Rodrigo. If Othello hadn’t listened to Iago, none of the events in the play would have happened.
I also wondered why Othello believed Iago's ridiculous claims and acted upon them. If someone came up to me and told me that my husband was cheating on me, I wouldn't believe them. Sure, I would contemplate the idea and might ask my husband about the accusation, but I wouldn't talk about it with the person who accused him in the first place; it is none of their business anyways. Othello should have done his own investigation. I'm not saying he should have gone full Sherlock Holmes or anything, but he could have at least listened in on some conversations between his wife and Cassio. This may have showed him that nothing was going on between them and he wouldn't have gone completely crazy with jealousy. Othello's jealousy and paranoia feeds on itself. Othello only needed a seed of doubt from Iago to germinate in his head before it became a full blown obsession. Because of his jealousy, Othello was the person who brought up the idea of killing Cassio and Desdemona and he employed Iago to actually kill Cassio. He exclaims, “O, blood, blood, blood!,” seeking a fatal revenge on the two which would not end well for him. I know that people say jealousy is something we cannot control, but how can you be jealous over something that isn't even real?
Whether or not you believe Othello is the one to blame for the tragic outcome of Othello, you can't deny that he set some tragic events in motion. Iago can only be perceived as guilty of telling Othello his speculations, but Othello took it upon himself to not only believe him but act on suspicion rather than fact. So what’s the verdict? Othello is guilty- of his own tragic downfall.
I certainly agree with many of the points you make. I believe that a lot of Othello's trust in Iago has to do with the time period. Of course it would make sense today for him to trust his wife more, but even though Iago is just a servant, he's also a man. However, I completely agree that Othello should have confronted and questioned Desdemona more thoroughly before assuming the worst. Even though Iago sparked the tragic events, it was Othello who did the actions themselves in the end.
ReplyDeleteI also wrote the response about Othello, and your response open my eyes to other claims and arguments. I agree with you on the irrationality of Othello. Now I wonder is it Othello insecurity that drives him to act this way or become blind to Iago's motives. However, I believe the power of love and jealousy can cause one to lose his or her rationality. On the other hand, I like how you utilize "you" as some of the pronouns in your response because I feel like as if you are speaking to me directly. I am looking forward to read your next blog post!
ReplyDeleteI agree with how Othello can be to blame even though I blamed Iago. If he was not so naive he would have seen that he was being deceived by Iago. It was definitely his insecurity that led him to the grave because of his race and jealousy, in my opinion. Your creativity is shown throughout this blog post.
ReplyDeleteI like how you engage the reader as if you are having an actual conversation. Every other line I can picture you saying certain sentences. Nice work!
Hello! Even though I will agree to disagree on this one, you made some valid points. I do agree that Othello was a little too trustworthy toward Iago, but think about it, if Iago had not said anything to Othello at all, none of this would have happened as well. I am not saying that Othello should not take part of the blame, but Iago was the one who set the pegs in motion.
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